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Daily Habits for Healthy Teeth

DAILY HABITS FOR HEALTHY TEETH

By: Laden Vakili, DMD | April 7, 2023

Bright smiles and healthy teeth result from practicing good dental habits regularly. Your child’s dental health as an adult depends on the habits they form right now. Help your child build the foundation for a lifetime of good oral health by working on a three-step daily routine morning and night.

Mornings can be hectic and busy, especially during the school year. Your child’s morning becomes a frantic scramble to dress, bathe, eat, and make it to school on time. And somewhere in there, they are supposed to brush their teeth. Even though it might seem like trying to fit ten pounds of beans into a five-pound can, your child’s morning bushing routine is the most influential factor in their short and long-term dental health.

Your child should practice their dental hygiene routine immediately following breakfast. This can mean a change for many children who are used to brushing first and eating breakfast at the end of their daily routine. You can encourage this adjustment by having breakfast ready when they wake up for school each day or preparing a healthy breakfast the night before. For example you can make overnight oats with nuts and fruit.

After eating breakfast, your child should follow a three-step dental hygiene routine:

Step 1: Floss
Before your child brushes their teeth, they should floss. If you brush before flossing, the bristles can’t scrub between your teeth where plaque collects. So, the first step in your child’s morning routine is to floss between each tooth. Simply tell them the time-tested dental joke, “you don’t have to floss every tooth. Only the ones you want to keep.”

Step 2: Brush
The correct technique for brushing teeth is to hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the teeth and scrub in a circular motion. The bristles should clean atop the surface of the teeth and gums. Scrub the outer surface of each tooth on the upper and lower jaw for five to ten seconds, then repeat on the inner surface of the teeth and gums. Repeat on the tops and bottoms of teeth, but scrub side-to-side and across since the surfaces are too small to scrub in circles. Scrub the tongue in a downward motion to remove bad-breath-causing bacteria. Many people use an electric brush. You can apply this same method of brushing, no matter which kind of toothbrush you select to use; just make sure you're only applying gentle pressure to the gums and teeth.

Step 3: Rinse
Do not let your child rinse their mouth with mouthwash containing alcohol. Many antiseptic mouthwash products are detrimental to the healthy bacterium in the mouth, so use a fluoridated, alcohol-free mouthwash. Swish the mouthwash for at least 30-seconds before spitting it out. Avoid eating or drinking for at least a half-hour after rinsing to get the most benefit from the fluoride.

Before going to bed, children should floss and brush their teeth and rinse. Follow the same brushing technique outlined for the morning to ensure plaque and food debris from the day are removed before sleep.

Help your child create a daily routine that includes following the above steps. It might seem like a lot to implement, but a child’s morning/evening routine is critical to their overall dental health. Habits are hard to establish and hard to break, so the sooner your child learns to take care of their dental health daily, the better for creating a life-long healthy smile.

Dr. Vakili started her education by receiving a bachelor of science in biochemistry from the University of Maryland, her doctorate in dental medicine from University of Pennsylvania, and her postdoctoral training in pediatric dentistry at Maimonides Medical Center, where she served as chief resident each year.

Dr. Vakili started her private practice in Manhattan and later moved to California to be closer to her family and was excited to settle into private practice in Marin County.
She is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, California Dental Association.

During her free time, Dr. Vakili enjoys spending time with her husband (who is also a dentist & Marin County native ) and her son. As a family you will find them exploring parks and trails in Marin. They also like to travel and cook together.